Accused Bank Robber Learns: Police Are Never Too Busy For an Arrest

A 45-year-old man has been charged in three recent bank robberies, allegedly choosing some of his targets on days when he believed police officers would be busy — such as this year’s September 11 anniversary and in the days leading up to the United Nations General Assembly.

Salaam Shabazz, who has a history of drug abuse and served jail time for robbing New York City banks, was arrested this week after two detectives who apprehended him nearly a decade ago recognized him on surveillance videos and noticed details similar to his past bank notes, police said. Mr. Shabazz is charged with robbery and attempted robbery in the incidents, which occurred between Sept. 11 to Sept. 19, police said.

Mr. Shabazz, who was remanded to prison, was not available for comment. His court appointed lawyer did not return calls for comment.

Police identified Mr. Shabazz as a suspect after the first incident, on Sept. 11. Mr. Shabazz allegedly walked into a Chase Bank at 100 E. 42nd St. and passed a note, making off with $3,500 and leaving the note behind — something he allegedly did during each of the robberies, according to police and court records.

One of the detectives who helped successfully prosecute Mr. Shabazz in 2005 for seven bank robberies committed in 2003 and 2004 said he recognized his face on surveillance videos.

“For some reason it just jumped at me as Mr. Shabazz,” said Det. Anthony Diaz of the NYPD Major Case Squad. “In the notes that were left behind at each of the robberies, there was a lot of similarities in the wording and the hand writing. You could see he’s the same author.”

Mr. Diaz and his partner, Det. Michael Dorto, said they recalled a poster of the suspect that was on the wall of their office when they were hunting for Mr. Shabazz in 2005.

They learned that Mr. Shabazz was sent to prison in 2005 for the robberies and was released in 2006. Until his most recent arrest, he’s had a few minor brushes with police, allowing the detectives to secure recent photos of him.

“In those recent pictures it really resembles the way he looks now,” Det. Diaz said.

A recent photo of Mr. Shabazz was shown to the Chase teller, who positively identified him, police said.

Mr. Shabazz, who was briefly displaced after Hurricane Sandy damaged his Rockaway apartment and spent time in a Holiday Inn Express near John F. Kennedy Airport, allegedly used paper from a complimentary note pad at the hotel to write at least two of the notes that were passed to the tellers, Det. Diaz said.

Police asked a criminologist to compare the old notes to the new ones and found similarities in their wording, letter formation, arrangement and alignment, police said.

Mr. Shabazz allegedly struck again on September 16, targeting a Citibank on Broadway where a teller denied his request for $5,000. On Sept. 19, he allegedly made off with $1,200 from a Sovereign Bank at 1350 Broadway, authorities said.

Police arrested him on Sept. 24 in his mother’s Far Rockaway apartment where they recovered clothes that match those in surveillance videos, police said.

Mr. Shabazz allegedly told detectives he targeted the third bank because he believed officers would be busy planning for United Nations General Assembly, which began this week.

“We interviewed him back then,” Mr. Diaz said. “We knew him and he knew us. And he just started laughing. He thought we were retired.”